Yair Banuelos - Associate Head Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Yair Banuelos

Title:
Associate Head Coach
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Yair Banuelos is in his third season on Jaron Maestas' Iowa State coaching staff. He was elevated to associate head coach in November of 2024.

Banuelos spent the six seasons prior to joining the Cyclones leading both Auburn University at Montgomery programs and was twice named the school’s head coach of the year (2018, 2023).

In his second season on staff, Iowa State continued to make great strides, ranking has high as No. 46 and finishing the season with an 11-11 record overall and No. 65 nationally in the final poll. The Cyclones improved by seven wins overall and won three more Big 12 matches than the season before, including thrilling wins over No. 31 Arizona and a 4-3 victory at Iowa, just the second win in Iowa City in the last 48 years.

ISU was playing with a young group in 2024-25, with one senior, two sophomores and five freshmen on the roster. Despite the youth, three players earned All-Big 12 awards. Senior Anna Supapitch Kuearum earned All-Big 12 second-team singles honors, as well as second-team doubles honors alongside Cristina Ramos Sierra. Kuearum finished her career with a school-record 17 conference wins, 11 of which came the last two seasons.

Freshman Julia Camblor earned second-team singles honors and was named to the all-freshman team. Camblor set the school record for singles wins by a freshman (25).

Banuelos and Maestas spent the 2023-24 season rebuilding the program after taking over with just one player left on the roster. The team battled injuries, playing 12 of 21 matches shorthanded, while finishing the season 4-17 in a loaded Big 12 Conference. The Cyclones did see strides individually as Kuearum moved from No. 4 singles in 2023 to No. 1 singles in 2024 and became just the ninth Cyclone to win 10 matches in the top singles slot.

Banuelos led both the AUM men’s and women’s program to the NCAA Division II South Regional in 2022-23, with the team’s combining to go 34-15 overall. The women’s team finished 18-6 last season and defeated six Top 50 teams, highlighted by a win over No. 6 North Georgia.

On the women’s side, the Warhawks went 9-1 in Gulf South Conference action and finished the season ranked No. 19 in the ITA Rankings. Three of his players earned all-conference honors and his doubles team of Estefania Garcia and Regina Urbiola finished the year ranked No. 7 and earned All-America honors.

The Warhawks, who moved to NCAA Division II in 2017, reached the last two NCAA Women’s Tournaments.

Banuelos took over both programs in 2018 and posted a 67-47 in guiding the AUM women’s program during its beginning years of Division II, while also recording a 64-46 record on the men’s side.

Banuelos arrived at AUM after a four-year stint leading both the men’s and women’s programs at his alma mater, Western New Mexico University, a Division II program in Silver City, New Mexico.

He was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2015 after leading the Mustang women to the regular season title. Western New Mexico won the 2015 and 2016 RMAC Tournament.

Banuelos, a Mexico City, Mexico native, earned his associate’s degree in health and wellness from Riverside City College in 2009. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a minor in coaching from Western New Mexico University in 2011 and his master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in kinesiology and psychology in 2013.

Banuelos excelled on the court at WNM, earning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors as a junior in 2010 and Senior Player of the Year honors in the South Central Region in 2011. He was singles and doubles All-RMAC first team as a junior and senior.

In his final season playing, Banuelos went 6-0 in both singles and doubles during conference play.

Banuelos is married to Doris Banuelos. The couple has a son, Sebastian.